Integrated circuits (ICs) have become increasingly important and popular in applications such as cell phones, smart phones, tablets, laptops, notebook computers, PDAs, wireless email terminals, MP3 audio and video players, and portable wireless web browsers. Nowadays, more and more integrated circuits include powerful and efficient on-board data storage and logic circuitry for signal control and processing.
With the development of advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology, device features in an integrated circuit are downsized. However, an increasingly higher density of devices and a more sophisticated combination of various types of circuitry, such as logic and radio frequency processing circuits, are more liable to incur noise in an integrated circuit. Noise can be detrimental to an integrated circuit because signal integrity can be compromised, which can in turn cause data loss or errors in logic or signal processing.